Everything Has Changed
by Straight-Outta-Hobbiton
Summary: The Undertaker's love dies, leaving him a single father.


Title: Everything Has Changed  
Summary: the undertaker's love dies, leaving him a single father.  
Disclaimer: i don's own anything except the OCs.  
A/N: so, i've finally shifted my sights to various animes, and have finally finished a fic. It's short, to be sure, but i'm hoping to start another family series, this time with the undertaker, my favorite black butler character.  
A/N2: this was all written on an ipad, so my capitalization is shit. Suffice to say when juliet says 'beloved' to undertaker, it's a pet name, and when undertaker says it to the baby, it's her actual name. Also, any and all spelling mistakes are because i'm fighting with a touch-screen keyboard. When i get onto a real computer i'll fix it, promise.  
A/N3: the sing for which this fic is named is by VAST, by the way.  
A/N4: so, this was posted forever ago on my lj, but i just figured out how to post via ipad! So, enjoy.

"juliet, please don't."

Undertaker's voice is a broken whisper as he clutches a clammy, thin hand, feeling the shallow heartbeat pulse under his fingers, growing weaker with each second.

"my beloved." her voice is weak, but as warm as it ever was. "beloved, you know i'll be waiting for you- but you still have a job to do for me."

Undertaker nods, not meeting her eyes. "i know."

Juliet smiles. "you'll be a wonderful father," she says, sounding dreamy. "it's a shame i'll not see it, but it's enough to know. If only..." she trails off, Exhaling slowly, and her heart slows to a final stop.

Tears slide hot down his cheeks and sobs wrack his body, and for the first time in his eternity, he's crying. He bows himself over the rapidly cooling corpse and watches his juliet's life, wishing with all he had that he could change something, make it stop, bring her back.

But he couldn't.

A small cry brings him out of his stupor, and he looks towards the small cradle in the corner.

He swallows hard, gathers all his courage, and approaches the cradle.

A silver-haired baby wrapped in a purple skull-patterned blanket goes still when he peers over the edge, wide, chocolate brown eyes gazing in wonder at her father.

Carefully he lifts her out of the cradle, rocking her gently. Beside the hair, she looks just like her mother, pale skin like porcelain rather than a cadaver, and her eyes a warm, comforting shade rather than his own, disconcerting green.

"you're very beautiful, my little dear," he tells her quietly. "just like your mother- but what shall i call you?"

The baby smiles up at him, and he feels his insides melt.

"beloved seems like a good name," undertaker admits. "at least, i've always liked it. What about you?"

She laughs, and he manages a a watery smile.

"beloved it is, then."

She's all he has left of juliet. He will do anything to keep her safe.

$

"so it's true?"

The young, childish voice startles Undertaker out of his reverie and looks up from the sleeping baby to see the earl and his dog.

"is what true?" he asks tightly, because really, he doesn't feel like dealing with the little prick right now.

"that you bedded a whore and she left you the child?" he sounds close to laughing, that little earl, and it enrages him.

One moment he's by the cradle, and the next he's got ciel shoved against the wall, his hands around that scrawny, pale neck.

"juliet was far from a whore, you little brat," he spits. "remember who you're talking to."

"she doesn't look much like you, undertaker," sebastian remarks, and the silver-haired man looks over his shoulder to see the demon rocking beloved, looking deceptively gentle as he looks at the smiling baby. "but i suppose it works in her favor."

Jerkily, he draws his long-fingered hand from ciel's neck and lets him slide to the ground, eyes never leaving the butler.

Sebastian smiles sweetly at the shinigami and offers his burden to her father, who takes her quickly, efficiently, and keeps her close to his chest.

"so, were you actually courting this juliet woman?" ciel inquires, hiding the fact that he was rubbing at the beginnings of a bruise on his neck by fixing his collar.

"i don't particularly see why that concerns you, earl, when you've never taken an interest in my business before." carefully he brushes a stray curl of silver out of beloved's eyes, nails delicate on her soft skin. She giggles and makes a grab for a finger, making him smile ever so slightly.

"well, i didn't particularly care, no, but now i'm just curious." ciel watches him intently. "i'd come to offer a place for her, if you didn't want her."

Instinctively undertaker steps back, clutching beloved even closer.

"not necessary," he says shortly. "i'm fine with her here."

"i see that," ciel says dryly. "though i must admit, i've never really seen you as the fatherly type."

"i'm full of surprises."

"you mentioned the name juliet," sebastian says suddenly. "you don't mean the recently disgraced lady juliet of winchester, do you?"

Undertaker offers him a tight smile.

"quite the clever clogs, ain't ya?" he shakes his head. "fine, then. Juliet was mine. She married me last spring, in secret. This is her daughter."

"and where is lady juliet now?" ciel sounds awfully suspicious.

Undertaker sighs. "complications during birth. She died a few hours after the baby was born."

Ciel grows somber, and he bows his head.

"i'm sorry to hear that," he says. "she is who i was searching for."

"well, she's dead, and i'm busy, as you can see, so-"

"just one more question."

Undertaker gazes at the little earl for a moment, then nods.

"yes?"

"what's her name?"

The silver-haired man blinks, taken aback.

"beloved grimm." his lips form the name numbly.

"an interesting name," sebastian offers. "grimm is certainly... Different."

"her mother took it, when she married me."

"of course." ciel looks over at the butler, who is still eyeing the baby with an odd look on his face. "well, if that's the situation, then we'll be off. I have a report to write, after all, but- where is lady juliet buried?"

"she wasn't buried." undertaker looks away. "i cremated her."

Both pairs of eyes widen perceptibly before they regain enough poise to mask their shock.

"thank you." ciel leaves without saying good-bye.

Undertaker lets out a sigh of relief and nuzzles his nose against beloved's cheek.

"alone at last, my little dear," he says, and she giggles, grabbing at his hair and pulling him closer. "shall we have some lunch? And then maybe a nap, for you."

Beloved only giggles louder and, chuckling himself, he eases his hair out of her grip and takes her into the other room.


End file.
